A local approach to setting rent

We commissioned Altair to undertake research to support our work on affordability, particularly to support housing associations to work with tenants to set affordable rents at a local level.

With the release of the Independent Review of Affordable Housing Supply in Wales, we are facing an opportunity to support genuine, robust and meaningful decision making between landlords and tenants around affordability.

The report by Altair, launched today, analyses elements of different affordability models and their suitability for use in different parts of Wales, and captures some of the work that is already taking place, exploring definitions and data sets that will help landlords and tenants make decisions about rent levels locally.

The report finds that local rent policies should be developed with tenants, should be fair, transparent and clear, provide stability but have the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances. It recommends that Welsh Government should invest in better quality data and that we should continue working with landlords to develop affordability principles and tools that support meaningful discussions with tenants locally.